Is AT&T Internet Down? (2024)

Your internet outage may not be your fault

by Chili Palmer

Jun 5, 2024 Share
Brand Guides

No matter what type of internet you have from AT&T, outages are a fact of life. Your mobile service or 5G home internet could go down, and in rare circ*mstances, even your AT&T Fiber could fail. Network failures also occur on older DSL connections.

Often, however, an internet outage is a problem at your home. And that’s good news! It means you can troubleshoot and get back online fast.

Jump to:

Troubleshooting tips
Customer-reported outage info
Refund information

How to find out if AT&T internet is down

The first sign your internet is down is usually an error message from your browser, apps, smart TV, or smart speaker. The following steps will help you figure out whether the problem is your device, your home setup, or a widespread AT&T internet outage.

Step 1: See if you can get online with a different device
Step 2: Check the lights on your modem and router or gateway
Step 3: Restart your devices or perform a complete power cycle
Step 4: Check your AT&T app or or the AT&T outage map online
Step 5: Look for construction crews or ask your neighbors

Check your router lights to see if you’re connected

Pro tip: Find out about AT&T outages on social media

If AT&T internet is having a widespread problem, you’re probably not the only impacted customer out there. Sometimes, your fellow irate customers may be more helpful than AT&T itself. Look for info and get help at r/at&t on Reddit or find the official AT&T support team on X (formerly Twitter).

Still can’t get AT&T internet to connect? Call customer service

If you can’t get online with AT&T and can’t figure out why, reach out to customer service. You can message the company online or try calling +1-800-288-2020.

If you’re having trouble with your AT&T mobile phone instead of home internet, visit AT&T Wireless support or call +1-800-331-0500.

Learn more in our expert resource library

Sometimes fixing a problem with your internet is as easy as unplugging it and plugging it back in, but we know it’s not always that simple. Browse the following articles in our expert resource library for more help.

Internet Troubleshooting Hub

Customer-reported AT&T outage info

We asked real AT&T fiber customers about reliability, and we have to say, we were impressed. More than 9 in 10 customers said they were “somewhat,” “very,” or “completely” satisfied with the reliability of their service. More than half said their speeds were “rarely” or “never” significantly slower than promised.

Customers also told us about how often they experienced outages.

Results from the 2023 Customer Satisfaction Survey. Data is self-reported.

Refunds for AT&T outages

AT&T’s terms of service say it “does not guarantee performance of your service on an end-to-end basis.” In other words, it’s not legally required to give refunds in case of an internet outage.

However, AT&T does have a history of offering outage-related refunds. After a major national outage in February 2024, for example, the company volunteered to give impacted customers $5 each. If you were one of those customers, you should have gotten notification from AT&T.

If you have any other outages, it’s probably worth calling AT&T once your service is back up to see if you can get a credit on your bill.

Write a review about your AT&T experience

Are you an AT&T customer? We would love to hear about your experience. We rely on your input to give the best possible tech advice to readers like you.

AT&T customer feedback

We make a habit of asking people around the country what they think of their internet service providers. In our most recent customer survey, AT&T tied for second place in customer satisfaction alongside Verizon and Xfinity. All three came in just a few points behind first-place winner T-Mobile.

placed third for reliability. It came out just behind Verizon, which came out on top, and two providers that tied for second place: T-Mobile and Xfinity. Overall, AT&T got its highest scores for speed. It makes sense, because AT&T Fiber offers some of the fastest and most reliable internet out there.

Provider	Overall satisfaction	Speed	Price	Reliability	Customer Service
	3.9	3.9	3.7	3.8	3.8

*Rating based on a five point system used in our Customer Satisfaction Survey. Higher is better.

In addition to collecting opinions about individual aspects of service, we asked survey respondents for their thoughts about AT&T internet. Here’s some of what we heard.

“I’m satisfied with the price. I don’t like that the speed doesn’t match up with the speed that was promised. I don’t like that the signal isn’t all that great in different areas of the house. But I do like that it’s been mostly reliable.”

“AT&T service is fast and reliable. I work remote and have had less than three outages in a seven-month period. I would say I do not like the installation, as a hole is drilled from the outside and I am unable to move my router. Other than that, I have no complaints.”

“I enjoyed AT&T from an internet standpoint, as I get amazing speeds of internet when playing video games and watching streams. They also have great connectivity when I have several devices connected to the same internet and no slowdown on the speeds.”

“They provide reliable services at great prices. However, for troubleshooting it is best to contact local customer service support. Do not request service from the website or corporate call center.”

Sourced from customers in all regions of the United States as part of the 2023 Customer Satisfaction Survey. We did not collect names or other personal info.

AT&T reliability data

AT&T owns networks nationwide, and it uses many different types of internet tech. Some networks are based on old-fashioned landlines, while others use high-tech fiber-optic cables from end to end. Other networks owned by AT&T use cell towers with a mix of 3G, 4G, and 5G connectivity.

What does that mean for you? To put it simply, the reliability of your AT&T internet depends on where you live. Heavily populated areas are more likely to have AT&T Fiber, while rural areas are more likely to have access to AT&T Air or DSL.

Fiber is the fastest and most reliable internet technology type AT&T offers, and its DSL is close behind when it comes to reliability. However, DSL is by far the slowest connection type, and it gets slower and slower the farther you are from your neighborhood hub. AT&T Air can be pretty fast, but it slows down if the network is congested. Even worse, AT&T Air service is deprioritized compared to AT&T wireless, which uses the same connection technology, so you could be getting decent speeds on your phone but have lethargic 5G at home.

AT&T outages by the numbers

23: Percent of households in the U.S. served by AT&T DSL internet

11: Percent of households in the U.S. served by AT&T fiber internet

52: Percent of real AT&T fiber customer who told us they rarely or never experience slowdowns

64: Percent of real AT&T fiber customers who told us they rarely or never have internet outages

70: Percent of real AT&T fiber customers who told us they’re satisfied with the reliability of their service

How AT&T internet compares

AT&T offers internet in California, Texas, and states throughout the South and Midwest. We crunched the numbers to find its biggest direct competitors across the country. Then, we made some friendly calls on which internet provider we’d favor in a broadband battle. Let’s get into it:

AT&T vs. T-Mobile 5G

T-Mobile home internet is closely matched against AT&T Air, but T-Mobile’s offering is a lot easier to get. That’s because T-Mobile 5G is available nationwide. AT&T Air is available only in areas where AT&T once had widespread DSL coverage, and it has the downside of extra fees if you exceed your monthly data allowance or 350GB. For most people, T-Mobile 5G is the right choice.

AT&T vs. Spectrum Internet

The choice depends on which connection types are available in your neighborhood. If you can get AT&T Fiber, we think you’ll be happy with it long-term. Lucky for you, both AT&T Fiber and Spectrum Internet are free of data caps.

If you can get only AT&T Air where you live, Spectrum’s cable internet might be the better choice. Just watch out for second-year price hikes, fees for equipment rental, and a mysterious monthly WiFi access fee on your monthly bill.

AT&T vs. Frontier

are two of a kind. Both are veteran providers, and both have a mix of DSL and fiber internet. AT&T has higher customer satisfaction scores, but Frontier has cheaper fiber internet plans. Unlike AT&T, Frontier is still selling DSL. If your choice is between Frontier DSL and AT&T Air though, we recommend AT&T Air.

AT&T vs. Verizon 5G

If Frontier and AT&T are corporate siblings, AT&T and Verizon are identical twins. Both AT&T and Verizon have mobile phone service, fixed wireless home internet (4G or 5G), DSL service, and fiber. If you can get fiber internet from either provider, go for it! If you’re stuck for fixed wireless, go with your mobile phone provider. If you have neither, we recommend T-Mobile because it outperformed AT&T in our live testing.

AT&T vs. Xfinity

It’s a close call between Xfinity cable internet and AT&T fiber internet. If you can choose between the two and you’re not a heavy internet user, go with Xfinity because it offers cheaper plans. Just watch your data budget: If you use too much in any given month, you’ll get a warning. If you go over again the next month, you’ll be charged.

If you’re a serious gamer or content creator, or if you have a big household with multiple 4K TVs, AT&T fiber is the better choice. If you can get Xfinity cable but only AT&T Air, on the other hand, go with Xfinity.

AT&T ranks fourth for reliability nationwide

We ranked all the top national providers for reliability based on a mix of customer-reported data, speed-test data, and tech type in our 2024 annual review. AT&T came in fourth, behind Google Fiber, Ziply Fiber, and Verizon.

Provider	Reliability rating	Order online
	8.7	ViewPlans for Verizon Home Internet
	8.4
	8.1	ViewPlans for Xfinity
	7.7	ViewPlans for Frontier
	7.5	View Plans
	5.9	ViewPlans for T-Mobile

Rating based on our 2024 Internet Provider Review. Providers were ranked on a scale from 0-10.
See disclaimers.

AT&T FAQs

How can I report an AT&T internet outage?

You can report an AT&T internet outage in the Smart Home Manager app or by calling +1-800-288-2020. You can also check an outage map at att.com/outages. From there, you could start a virtual chat and report an outage that way.

How do I know if AT&T is down in my area?

There are two main ways to check for AT&T internet outages. First, try the Smart Home Manager app. If you don’t have it, visit att.com/outages. If there isn’t a reported outage, follow the troubleshooting steps above to get back online as quickly as possible.

How long do AT&T internet outages last?

The length of your AT&T outage depends on its cause. If a fiber cable is damaged, the outage could last at least a few hours. If the issue is network maintenance, the outage could conclude in just a few minutes.

If there’s a power outage and you have AT&T Fiber, you’ll probably be fine if you have a battery backup on your ONT.

Visit att.com/outages or call +1-800-288-2020 for the latest info on your situation.

Disclaimers

AT&T
*Price after $5/mo Autopay & Paperless bill discount (w/in 2 bills). Plus taxes & fees. Monthly State Cost Recovery Charge in TX, OH, NV applies. Ltd. availability/areas.

T-Mobile
^†w/ Auto Pay. Regulatory fees included in monthly price for qualified accounts. See full terms.

Spectrum
^‡ For 12 months when bundled. Limited time offer; subject to change; valid to qualified residential customers who have not subscribed to any services within the previous 30 days and who have no outstanding obligation to Charter. Spectrum Internet® Gig promotion price is $89.99/mo; standard rates apply after yr. 1. Taxes, fees and surcharges extra and subject to change during and after the promotional period; installation/network activation, equipment and additional services are extra.

Frontier
^§w/ Auto Pay & Paperless Bill. Max wired speed 500/500 Mbps. Wi-Fi, actual & average speeds vary. One-time charges apply.

Verizon
^||w/ Auto Pay and select 5G mobile plans. Available in select areas.

Xfinity
^#No term contract. Taxes and equipment not included. (xFi getaway required). Included up to $10 mo. auto pay & paperless discount. Package not available in all cities.Pricing for some packages are for the first 12 months. Some packages require a 1- or 2-year contract.

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Author - Chili Palmer

Chili Palmer covers breaking news, satellite internet, mobile connectivity, and streaming services for HighSpeedInternet.com. Previously writing under the name Rebecca Palmer, Chili is passionate about providing accurate and accessible information any time you're trying to connect … whether you already speak geek or just got your first smartphone.

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